Education

Enough is Enough

Millions of animals suffer at the hands of humans.

“We do not accept that a difference in species alone, anymore than a difference in race, can ever justify exploitation or oppression in the name of sport, entertainment, science research, for food, commercial profit and human gain. Coast to Coast Animal Friends are 100% against the suffering of living beings.”

Circuses, Animal circuses are archaic, and cruel. The needs of the animal can never be met in a circus environment.Regardless of the number of generations that wild animals have been bred in captivity, they do not lose their natural instincts. They retain their desire to roam freely. Circuses deny them mental and physical stimulation.Circus animals can spend up to 11 months of the year travelling. The endless road travel in a confined space in all extremes of weather, over vast distances, is cruel in itself, without the additional cruelty that circus animals are subjected to.The animals suffer from boredom and are continually confined, isolated and distressed. This affects their health and wellbeing and can lead to serious behavioural problems, often manifesting as pacing, swaying, nodding, rocking or aggression. The only release. they get from their confinement is when they are performing for the circus audience. This can result in unpredictability and present a serious threat to human safety. There have been a number of cases of circus animals turning on their trainers, sometimes during performances and even in front of terrified children.The circus-goer never sees the behind the scenes cruelty which induces terrified, defenceless animals to perform unnatural, demeaning tricks for audience amusement.

The display of animals for entertainment in circuses plays no role in conservation or education. In fact circuses are anti-educational. There is nothing educational or entertaining about seeing wild animals with broken spirits performing tricks. This does not teach children where the animals come from, how they live or their normal diets, habits or social structures. Circuses send out the wrong message, that it is ok to exploit animals for human entertainment and to laugh at their painful and demeaning predicament.. It encourages impressionable children to believe that it is ok to force animals to behave unnaturally, in fear of punishment.

We are not alone in our conviction that animal circuses should be permanently banned. Numerous countries worldwide share our conviction and have bans in place. Here in Australia more than 40 local authorities including our national capital have such bans in place. Increasingly, community attitudes are deploring this vile form of animal exploitation and cruelty. Apart from being cruel to have animals in circuses, it is also unnecessary. Many successful modern circuses such as Cirque du Soleil perform without animals.

It is time to listen to our sense of compassion and understand that animals suffer and feel pain just as humans do.

Several websites have exposed the behind the scenes abuses to which circus animals are routinely subjected, for example www.animalcircuses.com

Rodeos

Marine Parks

Wildlife Parks

Animals used as tourist attractions

Mobile Animal Exhibitors

Exhibited animals food

Animals In Sport

Horse Racing,

– Is the party really worth it?Horse racing is a business, a multi-billion dollar enterprise and investment globally. The experience for horses is an endurance of extreme physical exertion. In many cases horses aged between 2 – 5 years are used in horse racing. Because of their immature skeletal structure, young horses in particular risk serious injury each time they are made to run at high speeds. It is highly questionable as to whether horses are ready to be ridden in such a way at such tender ages or the question could be posed if at all. In Australia approximately 18,000 horses are born and bred for the racing industry of which a small percentage are deemed worthy of competition in this field. Horses that don’t make the cut, and the horses that have their short racing career ended because they are deemed no longer a viable and profitable tool of business, are discarded. The common term for this is ‘wastage’. Often meeting their fate at the hands of humans, horses considered excess are bought in sale yards by people in the industry known as ‘kill buyers’ and then taken to a slaughterhouse/abattoir, killed, dissected and sold as animal food or for human consumption (Yes, eating horses is legal and happens in some parts of Australia! however the majority of the horse steaks produced here are sent overseas).On Saturday, January 10th 2015, Coast to Coast Animal Friends teamed up with the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses at the Magic Millions event at Bundall Race Track on the Gold Coast to protest and support a 1% retirement plan to fund mandatory retirement for horses exiting the racing industry in place of the current slaughter, discard and wastage of healthy young horses that are bred to entertain an inhumane desire for entertainment at the terrible and fatal demise of these beautiful animals. We spread awareness of what is hidden from the public in regards to the practices of this ‘glamorous’ industry that needs to be highlighted for what they represent – cruelty.

The question remains, ‘Is the party really worth it’?What you can do?

Donate to further animal welfare within the racing industry

Don’t attend race events, parties or family fun days where horses are forced to race.

Greyhound Racing,

Greyhounds have an innate ability for speed and their athleticism makes them a great candidate for dog agility sports. While some owners may treat their greyhounds well the reality of the greyhound racing industry is that they are more often considered a commodity for generating income and revenue from the millions of dollars gambled. They are seen as nothing more than a business investment for many. Since ancient Egyptian times, greyhounds have been exploited for hunting and various agility coursing events, solely for the benefit of humans. In recent times, greyhound racing has grown to be a lucrative sport at the expense of these sensitive dogs who want nothing more than to snuggle on the couch and be part of a family. Just as with horse racing, the misery and cruelty begins at birth with purposeful breeding and those deemed too slow, or retired early due to injury or age, are then discarded as useless. Only a small percentage are rescued. Greyhounds start racing at 18 months old and many don’t make it to 4 or 5 years old. A greyhound bred for racing typically lives its life in a cage, kept muzzled and can experience sores from both. Greyhounds are often forced to train and compete in extreme weather conditions despite their thin coats and low body fat. Some suffer and die from exhaustion or fatal injuries. But it’s not just these beautifully-natured dogs that are treated cruelly, other animals such as piglets, rabbits and possums are used for live baiting to create a ‘blood lust’ in the greyhounds seen to give an advantage in competition. Coast to Coast Animal Friends are proud and supportive of the efforts that animal activists associated with Animals Australia and Animal Welfare League Qld have gone to with the exposure of this industry in 2014/15.

What you can do?

Don’t attend or gamble at greyhound racing events

Support the efforts of organisations such as Coast to Coast Animal Friends, Animals Australia and Animal Welfare League Qld.

Dog Fighting,

Dog fighting has been banned and made illegal on a global scale generally: however, some countries such as Japan, Honduras and parts of Russia still practice what is seen as a sport by those who participate and organise. But did you know that this cruel and abhorred practice could be happening in your backyard? In Australia dog fighting is illegal forcing dog fighting rings to conduct themselves in secretive ways away from the eyes of authority and animal welfare advocates. Members of illegal dog fighting rings are typically sent a mobile phone text message at short notice with details of the secret location of the fight to take place, making it difficult for authorities to find them or trace their movements. These fights can be held anywhere from remote areas and communities to secluded beaches with generators set up for lighting and temporary fences erected as makeshift fighting rings. Fights can be held in barns, garages, warehouses, back streets and abandoned buildings. Fights are often broken up with a whip or a stick and dogs are left to fight until one is seriously injured or tragically dies. A dog is declared a loser if it stops fighting or jumps out of the ring and owners have been known to beat, torture or shoot their ‘losing’ dog. Dogs are sometimes trained and prepared for fights using treadmills while a terrified animal is dangled in front on the dog and some owners illegally administer steroids to their dogs to build up their muscle mass. Owners are known to perform their own surgeries on dogs to patch up injuries to avoid vet visits and questions, or cut off their dog’s ears to prevent another dog from latching on.

Some dogs are bred specifically for fighting where popular breeds are of the pit bull type, such as American Staffordshire Terrier; however, any breed deemed suitable for this blood sport may be selected through the internet or local papers advertising pups and dogs at low cost or ‘free to good homes’. In some cases a family pet is stolen or stray dogs are picked up.

Dog fighting has been linked with illegal firearms and drug dealing and most often gambling. Sadly young children are sometimes present exposing them to exhibits of extreme brutality, illegal gambling, drugs and guns associated with these sickening events.

What you can do? If you know or suspect of any dog fighting or dog fighting rings, please don’t hesitate to contact your local authority.

Cock Fighting

Hunting

Fishing

Animals For Food

Live Export

Factory farming The Five Freedoms, were intended for basic farm animals the ideals should be applied to all animals but sadly we have a long way to go…Freedom to express normal behaviour, Freedom from pain, injury and disease Freedom from hunger and thirst, Freedom from fear and distress, Freedom from Discomfort.

Dairy Farming

Animal breeding

Animals For Profit

Puppy Mills ,

Puppy mills are commercialdog breedingfacilities that operate with an emphasis on profits over the welfare of the dogs bred.

Because of this the female dogs are treated as breeding machines, locked in cages and shown no love, affection or attention. Never to roll in the grass, never walked or groomed, rarely any vet care, the public only sees the adorable puppies in the store window, not the mothers and fathers of the litter. Bitches of desirable breeds are impregnated by male dogs also living in this misery; their puppies are taken and sold to pet shops and online buyers. Litter after litter, until they can no longer produce profitable litters. Then they are killed and replaced, the torture repeats.

What you can do?

Choose to adopt, you can help put a stop to puppy farms and save a life.

Ask you local pet store to provide local shelters with a forum for adopting homeless animals.

Wildlife Culling

Live Export of Camels

Clearing of Habitats

Animals For Fashion

All fur for clothing, household goods, gifts and accessories

Real Fur masquerading as faux fur

Wild slaughter of animals for fur

Calve slaughter for nappa leather

Sheep Farming for the production of wool

Animals for Research

Animals used in Research for vivisection, cosmetics, medical and chemical testing